Salutations from a Morbidly Obese Middle Aged Newbie

#1

I’m not new to keto/low carb but new here. I have had great success low carbing in the past so I know it works, but I have been on and off (mostly off) for the past 14 years and I now weigh close to 300lbs. My cholesterol is high, I’m pre-diabetic, have arthritis and tired all the time. I’ll be 55 years old soon and I want to start over. I want to ask the successful people here if they think it’s possible? Can I follow a keto way of eating and get my energy back? I’ve already been through menopause. Can I still lose weight or is it too late for me?

(KM) #2

Greetings and salutations! I wasn’t morbidly obese but definitely overweight, I’ve lost 33 pounds and gotten to my goal weight in about a year of ‘gentle keto’ - eating to satiety and not worrying about calories or macros, just very low carb, no industrial oils and almost no alcohol. I’m a 60 year old sedentary woman. Keto on, Marge, you got this!!

(Doug) #3

Hi Marge. I don’t think it’s too late for you, not at all. Arthritis, weight loss and pre-diabetes should all be helped to a huge extent by staying really low-carb. The energy level - keeping carbs (and insulin) low sets the stage for feeling better, but it’s still quite an individual thing.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

I didn’t start keto until I was over sixty, so you can certainly do it, too. It may be a slower process than it was before, but let your body set the pace.

I don’t find it very hard to eat keto foods, which in my case are largely meat, eggs, poultry, greens, broccoli, cauliflower and forms of dairy that have very little or no sugar (heavy cream, aged cheeses, etc.) I am a carb and sugar addict, which makes it more difficult, because not everyone in the house is keto. I no longer find myself greatly tempted by sweet things, but yeast bread, French fries from certain takeout places, and pasta can still tempt me. But for the most part, this is a highly sustainable way of eating.

You may not lose as much as you want, as easily as you want, but you can certainly get healthier. To look at me, you’d never see the 80 lbs./36 kg I lost, you’d just think I needed to start keto. But I reversed my pre-diabetes (which is just another word for “diabetes that hasn’t been diagnosed yet”) and normalised all my blood markers. My blood pressure and heart rate are normal. Although I could certainly stand to lose more fat, it is the metabolic improvement that was my primary goal, and I have achieved that.

#5

It’s not too late and we have older folks getting success with keto (or low-carb) here :slight_smile:

If you put in some effort, I expect you will be successful. At least until some point, the last few dozens of pounds may be more problematic, I experienced that… I am the odd one here who got zero fat-loss success with keto (I started when I was around 150lbs since long after some easy fat-loss on low-carb. and I am used to eating way too much. it’s just my lucky genes that I didn’t get really big, I surely ate enough for that). But with more to lose? Highly unlikely keto wouldn’t help. Especially that you have good experience with low-carb… Maybe you should ask yourself why you left it if it works for you…

The energy is another matter. I never got energy from low-carb or keto or carnivore - or not much (it seems carnivore is a tiny bit better…?), I still have lowish energy about all the time. it’s possible some other factors are in play but I don’t know what as I sleep enough, exercise, don’t feel super stressed… But it may be genetics or something, some people are energetic all their life while others never really are. So I just try to do everything I can right to maximize my energy level.

#6

Thank you for all your replies! That gives me encouragement to keto on!!:stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: I’m going to do this again!

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #7

I’m very new to Keto. In 3 months I’ve lost 44lbs. I ignored the pre diabetes warnings and only started Keto when full T2.
My last HbA1c was normal, not even in the pre T2 range! … all in 3 months.
What is there to lose Marge?

#8

It is Never too late. Start with small steps. Keep it simple. 1st step would be to get a dog (optional) and start walking every morning. Slowly increase your duration. Start 1x per day in the morning and then after every meal. Do the morning walks in a fasted state. Obese people, even doing a brisk walk they can have a blood lactate over 2. (the body prioritized sugar over fat after 2). Walking helps change this over time. My mantra, in the beginning, was "Nothing white or could be white (except eggs) Have your breakfast planned out the night before. This sets you up for the day. Eggs work very well for this as they satiate. If you can afford it, pay to have a DEXA scan and blood work (ApoB, Ap0 A1c and an OGTT that measures both sugar and insulin over a 2 hour period. 4 extractions) Do this before you begin so you have a baseline. Empirical data is important. Retest Dexa after 3 or 4 months. Blood work after 6 months. Get a blood ketone measurement tool. Pick up Dr. Fung’s books, “The Obesity Code” and “The Diabetic Code.” Or even better, join his program. Keep in mind that females and males can and do respond differently to Keto. Not everyone thrives on Keto or loses huge weight. Most studies on diets are done on males. My experience is that females wanting to lose weight need approximately 50 grams of carbs per day and not the often 20 grams that are recommended. Lastly, do not starve yourself.
Good luck.

(Marianne) #9

Oh my gosh, welcome!!! I want to send you a big hug!

Of course it’s possible! I think you just have to find your groove and get off the carbage. When I started (at 60), I had 80 lbs. to lose (still would like to drop the last 15 of those), and really no hope of ever finding something that I could sustain that actually worked. My suggestion, get your macros and come close to the protein and fat macros and keep the carbs under 20g/day. Find what you like to eat and stick with that. Eat three meals a day with no snacks. If you are hungry in between meals, increase your intake at the next meal. For ease, I confined any greens/vegetables mainly to dinner, or lunch if I had a salad. That helped me keep the carbs well under 20g/day. Breakfast was always the same - three eggs with some bacon or sausage and sometimes a butter coffee. That held me very well until lunch and within three weeks, I would have a butter coffee only and many times be able to comfortably skip lunch. If I felt hungry, I ate my meals. Eat clean, one ingredient foods, not any processed “keto” food. Don’t count calories and stay off the scale. It has the potential to discourage you more than anything. You may want to take your stomach measurement. I wish I had. Don’t be afraid to eat. Remain satiated and don’t cheat. Don’t beat yourself up if you do, but get back on the horse. Let the days pass without focusing on how much you are losing.

Lastly, you may want to check out dietdoctor.com and sign up for the free 30-day trial. Set a reminder on your calendar to cancel before the 30 days if you don’t want to renew. They won’t hassle you with emails or other solicitations. Check out the success stories - I read each one 2-3 times over and they helped me so much. I also enjoyed the short videos from physicians or other experts on the science behind keto. Fascinating stuff.

Good luck to you!!! Hope to see you here.

#10

Welcome! You can definitely do this – you’ve done it before, and you’re determined to make a success of it again. You’re in one of the best places for it, too. If you have any struggles as you get readjusted, ask away, and there’s plenty of people around here that have been through it all and would be happy to help.

#11

The opposite can also be true. Losing weight in the very beginning can help motivate you to keep going. As well, the weight scale gives you feedback on your food choices. Sometimes it is good and sometimes not so good. If you decide to measure your weight do so at the same time every day generally in the morning (preferably after a bowel movement). Look at the week as a whole. Up or down. Self-correct. Keep a food journal with dates so you can over time know what foods can be an issue and which foods are not. I could fluctuate by 2-4 lbs per day. I generally self-corrected only after a week’s worth of data.
I would also measure your water intake. I determine I need at least 2 litres per day (no exercising days) to help keep me regular.

(KM) #12

This is definitely a personal “YMMV”, but when I started my keto WOE I wrote myself a list of some things that bothered me about my body or health. I tried to be very descriptive, with as many measurable things as possible. (I.e. “I don’t like that I have no waist, it’s currently x inches while my hip measurement is Y inches, almost the same.” Or, “I don’t like that my blood pressure is A/B.” “I want to fit into these pants and I definitely don’t.”)

I do weigh myself, but when I’m frustrated with a plateau, I can review those other things and still feel like I’m making great progress. Hey, I have a waist now that’s 4" slimmer than my hips! Yay, my blood pressure is down 15 points! I sleep better. My pants fit!!

Sometimes when the scale isn’t cooperating it’s just as encouraging to have a bunch of other success stories, and tend to forget the other advances I’ve made if I don’t have the starting points written down.

#13

I was 320 pounds and well past middle age. I chronicled most of my weight loss in the thread “from morbidly obese to healthy”. Maybe you can get some inspiration there. I now weigh 195 pounds. Like you, I had lost earlier on low carb (Atkins back then) and gained it all back and then some. All I can say is: You can do it, and you can enjoy doing it, too! I am still doing Keto/low carb and I am still a foodie. It can be done, and if I did it, so can you!

#14

It is absolutely possible and definitely not too late. Wishing you the best as you start your journey!

#15

Thanks for all the support!!! I went grocery shopping today (around perimeter of store) and stocked up with meat, eggs, cheese, etc. I’m ready!!!

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #16

You’ll love it Marge. I enjoy my meals more than I ever did. My recipes, the shopping, the innovation, the challenge. I love it. In the Supermarket queue I look at shoppers baskets and think… ‘How can you eat that ***’ :joy:

#17

It’s literally never too late, that entire mindset is from people trying to rationailze giving up.

Stick with it, eat right, exercise, ideally have resistance training in the mix, and you’ll be awesome. As far as menopause causing an issue, that’s very independent and a full hormonal panel (which most docs never do) will show you if and where you have shortfalls, all of which can be mitigated if you choose. In the end, you can absolutely hit your goals. You’re 55, that’s NOT old!

(holistciRN) #18

welcome Marge!
It’s never too late! I started keto/low carb at age 57 after gaining 50 pounds after menopause. I am now 160 which is 10 pounds heavier than my lowest weight of 150. I felt so much better and still feel better although I have a lot of medical issues. It’s totally do able. I encourage you to go to you tube and listen to Dr Cywes, the carb addiction Doctor. His no nonsense, completely honest approach helps me stay on track. I also started daily Pilates 3 years ago and now it’s like brushing my teeth, a habit I will not break. Best of luck, attitude is everything!

(Robin) #19

Welcome, MEDIUM Marge. You might as well get used to that name now… I’m that certain that you are on the right road. Just stick with it. I am 68… I started at 218 pounds 3 years ago. This morning I am at 137. My goal was just 180!
I would guess I lost 60 pounds the first year, and the rest has just gradually melted over the last 2 years.
You’ll often see changes in your body and your clothes before the scale shows it. Don’t that scale sabotage take you mentally. Step away from that rascal if you are feeling discouraged.
Make sure you eat enough. We women spent our lives thinking we HAD to cut calories to lose. No more. Just try to stay under 20g of carbs every day. It’s as simple as that.
If issues pop up, let us know… someone here has dealt with it.
You got this!

(Laurie) #20

Welcome!

In the 20 years since menopause, I have lost considerable weight on Atkins or keto a few times. So I know it can be done.

(I did put the weight back on each time, but that’s because I fell off the wagon.)